If you started watching Netflix’s new Korean drama The Scandal and suddenly wondered whether something was wrong with your TV or Netflix settings, you’re not alone.
One surprisingly specific question appeared almost immediately after the series premiered:
Why do the flashback scenes in The Scandal look stretched?
Some viewers even checked their Netflix settings or refreshed the app because the image looked so unusual. But the strange-looking picture appears to be part of the show itself — not a problem with your screen.
No, Your Netflix Settings Probably Aren’t Broken
The Scandal premiered globally on Netflix on September 18, 2026. The eight-episode Joseon-era romance stars Son Ye-jin as Lady Cho, Ji Chang-wook as Cho Won, and Nana as Hui-yeon.
Soon after release, viewers discussing Episode 1 on Reddit began noticing something strange whenever the story moved into the past.
One viewer asked whether anyone else disliked the screen ratio during the flashbacks, saying it made them dizzy. Another said they checked the Netflix app because they thought something was wrong with their settings.
Others described the flashback image as looking stretched, almost as if a compressed picture had been expanded incorrectly.
So if you noticed it too, it isn’t just your imagination.
What Is Happening to the Picture?
The unusual appearance has also been noticed outside Reddit.
A review from DVDfever specifically examined the presentation and reported that the main series uses a 2.39:1 presentation, while the flashback sequences are presented differently, describing those scenes as an anamorphic squeeze into approximately 2.00:1.
The result is that people and objects can appear unnaturally stretched vertically.
That explains why the flashbacks can feel visually “wrong” even when viewers cannot immediately identify what changed.
It isn’t simply a different color filter or softer lighting.
The proportions of the image itself appear different.
Why Would The Scandal Do This?
This is where we need to separate fact from interpretation.
As of now, I could not find an official Netflix or director statement explaining exactly why the flashbacks were presented this way.
However, the distinction is clearly noticeable enough that multiple viewers independently identified it.
The most plausible creative interpretation is that the altered image was intended to give the past a visually different identity from the present timeline.
Filmmakers frequently distinguish memories through changes in color, grain, lenses, framing or aspect ratio. In The Scandal, the visual difference is unusually aggressive.
And that may be why it is attracting attention.
Instead of simply thinking,
“This is a memory.”
some viewers are thinking,
“Is something wrong with my Netflix?”
Reddit Viewers Had Exactly the Same Reaction
That reaction may be the most interesting part.
In the Episode 1 discussion, viewers independently reported checking their settings, refreshing Netflix and asking other viewers whether they were seeing the same distorted image.
One commenter summarized the issue simply: the flashback scenes looked stretched.
That tells us the technique certainly succeeds at making the past look different.
Whether it looks good is another question.
The Flashbacks Matter More Than They First Appear
The visual choice is particularly noticeable because The Scandal relies on its characters’ histories to explain their present relationships.
Netflix describes the drama as a dangerous game involving Lady Cho, notorious seducer Cho Won and the widowed Hui-yeon. As the series progresses, earlier events become important for understanding the desires and resentments behind that game.
Making the past visually distinct therefore makes narrative sense.
The controversy is over the execution rather than the basic idea.
So, Why Are The Scandal’s Flashbacks Stretched?
The short answer:
Your TV probably isn’t broken, and changing your Netflix settings probably won’t fix it.
The flashback sequences in The Scandal use a noticeably different visual presentation that can make the picture appear vertically stretched. Multiple Netflix viewers noticed the same effect immediately, and at least one published review independently identified the altered aspect-ratio presentation.
What remains unclear is why director Jung Ji-woo and the production team chose this particular effect. Netflix’s official materials confirm Jung as the director, but the materials I found do not explain this flashback technique.
So for now, the safest conclusion is:
It’s the drama, not your Netflix app.
And judging by the first wave of viewer reactions, you definitely weren’t the only person who thought something had gone wrong.